Beauty and Isolation

Image by jenniferrt66 via Flickr

Some reflections on our recent trip to the Keweenaw Peninsula and Copper Harbor.

Foremost was the wild and rugged feel that it had. Our senses kept saying "Rocky Mountains." I think it was the feel of the air coming off Brockway Mountain and Lake Superior.

It had its own special beauty where the rocks meet the lake. There was a wildness and freedom that seemed unique to that spot.

We were constantly wondering what the peninsula must be like in the winter. The sense of isolation must be overwhelming. The potential difficulty of travel, and literally being stuck there, are not part of the average Americans everyday life. My curiousity led me read a short book by Mac Frimodig, who wintered over at Fort Wilkins, and he talks about the "Copper Harbor Stare," that one develops after about a month of winter there.

I am always hesitant when the words "mountain" and "drive" are put together, but the trip up and over Brockway Mountain was great, and the views of the Keweenaw and Lake Superior were special.

What could be better for coffee lovers than staying in a coffee shop? We spent the night in the Brockway Inn which is Michigan's northernmost coffee shop with 3 motel rooms on each side of it, and all the free coffee you can drink.

We walked along Hunters Point. The north side open to Lake Superior, and the south side along the protected harbor. This is where we got some of those wild and rugged sensations, and you realized you were someplace special.

Fort Wilkins is one of the best restorations of a historical site that I have visited. They did a truly wonderful job of making one feel what it would have been like to be stationed there in the mid 1800's. It is one mile east of Copper harbor.

We always look for freighters. Off Copper Harbor, we actually saw some.

We hope to return one day. As it always has, Isle Royale beckons us.